Mon, Apr 12, 2010 page8

• [LETTERS]

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  Climate change prevention

  Since “climategate” was publicized at the Copenhagen conference in November last year, the attitude of the general public has sparked a conspicuous shift on the issue of climate change. According to the results of a Gallup poll released last month, a large number of Americans believe the importance of global warming has been magnified by some scientists. The percentage of respondents who said there are exaggerations went up from 30 percent in 2006 to 41 percent last year and 48 percent this year, according to the Taipei Times (“Fear-mongering on climate change,” April 1, page 8).

  However, it is definitely true that serious natural catastrophes have been taking place more frequently worldwide during the past decade. In Taiwan, Typhoon Morakot, which devastated the ­Kaohsiung area in August last year, is a memory of acute grievance for Taiwanese.

  In fact, our country is suffering from serious natural threats, such as rising sea levels, gradual water shortages and decreasing fish stocks. Even though we cannot predict how harmful the greenhouse effect to the planet is going to be in the immediate future, we should still deal with the most fundamental cause of climate change — large-scale carbon dioxide emissions and other destructive human activities.

  There are many pragmatic ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions we produce, such as carpooling, making use of public transportation, improving the use of pastures and reforestation.

  Another alarming hazard related to climate change affects insect pollination, such as the honey bee colony collapse, which has begun to threaten the successful pollination of billions of dollars of crops in the US. How to prevent the spread of these diseases is also a crucial issue in relation to climate change.

  We in Taiwan should live up to our responsibility for the preservation of our planet as well as safeguarding the future of our children. For Taiwan, Morakot has taught us a severe lesson.

  CLAIRE WU

  Taipei County

  Purpose of learning English

  The Ministry of Education (MOE) needs to take a serious look at the purpose of learning English. If the purpose is to fulfill a lame university entrance requirement, or to pass a test, then the MOE doesn’t really need to alter the current curriculum. If the purpose of learning English is to be able to meaningfully communicate with another person, however, the MOE needs to revise the curriculum from the beginning.

  If I were hiring, and had two applicants, one with a usable vocabulary of only 500 words, but who wasn’t afraid of using them, and the other with a testable vocabulary of 10,000 words, but was too shy to open his or her mouth, I would hire the first one in a heartbeat.

  The MOE needs to understand that less is more. Teaching a smaller vocabulary and spending more time on learning to say the words clearly and to use them in various situations is the way to advance students’ useable English skills.

  The MOE could cut the vocabulary in half, for the time being, thus giving more time to speech practice. Over time, the environment for reinforcement outside the English classroom would be built and the MOE could then gradually increase the vocabulary of the lessons.

  I don’t think the MOE has clear goals or a plan of any sort on how to make English relevant in students’ lives. At the moment, outside of the large cities, there is no environment for reinforcement of English learning.

  Students eagerly learn things they feel are relevant, hence the great interest in computer classes. The MOE needs to go beyond the present cursory attempt to make textbooks relevant and make English something truly relevant and of use.

  Until the MOE deliberately sets down a clear purpose and step-by-step goals that are reachable by the majority of students, and not some idealized fantasy student or privileged student, the state of English education in Taiwan will always be something of a mess.

  SHERVIN MARSH

  Luodung
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